Two-term Reynolds–McCormick phase function parameterization better describes light scattering by microalgae and mineral hydrosols

Abstract

The presence of hydrosols, taken as suspension of micro- or macroscopic material in water, strongly alters light propagation and thus the radiance distribution within a natural or artificial water volume. Understanding of hydrosols’ impacts on light propagation is limited by our ability to accurately handle the angular scattering phase function inherent to complex material such as suspended sediments or living cells. Based on actual quality-controlled measurements of sediments and microalgae, this Letter demonstrates the superiority of a two-term five-parameter empirical phase function as recently proposed for scattering by nanoparticle layers [Nanoscale 11, 7404 (2019) [Cro. The use of such phase function parameterizations presents new potentialities for various radiative transfer and remote sensing applications related to an aquatic environment.